The ELLE LIST, in association with THEOUTNET.COM, which launches today, is a curated list of emerging talent from around the world, including actors, artists, musicians, athletes, activists, photographers, beauty heroes and hell-raisers of every kind.

This list marks ELLE’s commitment to using our platform to shout about a brave and brilliant NEW generation who are pushing the needle and changing the world to make it a better place.

From the founder of the #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke, and her tireless campaigning to shift the conversation around sexual abuse, to young actor and environmental campaigner Sadie Sink, who rocketed to fame after joining the cast of Stranger Things, every person on The ELLE List has enormous talent, dazzling style, and is disrupting the status quo in 2018.

So how did we choose a list that ranges from rapper Stefflon Don to teen-activist and gun lobbyist Emma González?

With help…

ELLE asked for expert opinions from a panel of prestigious judges - Director of The Tate Maria Balshaw, Instagram's Eva Chen, fashion designer Erdem Moralioglu, the team at The Outnet, leader of the Women's Equality Party Sophie Walker, singer Jessie Ware, supermodel Alek Wek, and our very own editor-in-chief Anne-Marie Curtis - to help select the final 50 honourees of this inaugural ELLE List.

So here they are… It is time to celebrate them, and shine a light on them. They are the future.

THE ELLE LIST 2018

Dougal MacArthur

Matty Bovan, Designer, York

Since winning the LVMH Prize in 2015, as one of Fashion East’s latest protégés, Matty Bovan has been cultivating his post-apocalyptic punk aesthetic from his garage in York. This season, for his first solo show, he mixed tailored tweeds with balloon headdresses.

Dougal MacArthur

Josh O’Connor, Actor, Cheltenham

After starring in God’s Own Country, Josh won the British Independent Film Award for 'Best Actor' in 2017 and was nominated for a BAFTA. Next year, he stars in BBC's new drama Les Misérables.

Petra Collins, Artist, Photographer, Director and Model, Toronto

Known for her ethereal and dreamlike sensibility, not only has Petra directed music videos for the likes of Selena Gomez and Cardi B, but she's also a resident photographer for Rookie magazine and was chosen to be the face of Gucci in 2016.

Yara Shahidi, Actress, Minneapolis

Known for her role in Black-ish, off the screen Yara has set up organisations Eighteenx18, a platform encouraging young people to vote, and Yara’s Club, an online mentoring programme. And with the help of a letter of recommendation from Michelle Obama, this year she secured a place at Harvard University.

Getty Images

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Artist, London

Known for her portraits depicting black lives, Yiadom-Boakye was nominated for a Turner Prize in 2012, and has held solo exhibitions at the Serpentine Gallery and the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, a show that was profiled by Zadie Smith for The New Yorker.

Dougal MacArthur

Jorja Smith, Singer, Walsall, UK

Winner of the Brits Critics’ Choice Award 2018, Jorja's sound has been compared to Rihanna, with her music attracting some very famous fans, including the likes of Drake, Stormzy and Dizzee Rascal.

Emma González, Gun Control Activist, Parkland, Florida

A post shared by Emma González (@emmawise18) on May 3, 2018 at 2:42pm PDT

Emma is the powerfully articulate Marjory Stoneman Douglas senior who, following the mass shooting at her high school, where 17 were left dead, is urgently demanding more gun control under the "Never Again" campaign. With her fellow students, she helped organise the March For Our Lives protest, which approximately 800,000 people attended.

Letitia Wright, Actress, London

A post shared by letitiawright (@letitiawright) on Dec 21, 2017 at 8:53am PST

As the Disney princess with a science brain in this year’s biggest grossing film Black Panther, Letitia’s career has jumped from TV roles in Black Mirror to sci-fi heroes in Spielberg’s Ready Player One.

Having been at the forefront of the natural hair care movement since the early 2000s, Mensah is the three-time winner of Afro Hairdresser of the Year and the go-to for ‘fro woes – just ask clients Zadie Smith and Janelle Monáe.

Mabel McVey, Singer, Stockholm

Daughter of Nineties music icon Neneh Cherry, Mabel has music in her blood. Now, with single after single landing in the UK Top 10, and a Brits Critics’ Choice Award nomination on her CV, she’s making her own mark on the industry.

Dougal MacArthur

Tarana Burke, Founder of Me Too, Alabama

As the founder of the #MeToo movement, Tarana was part of ‘The Silence Breakers’, a group that was named Time's Person of the Year 2017, for her work as a driving force to eradicate sexual abuse in a post-Weinstein world. She attended the 75th Golden Globe Awards with Michelle Williams for Time's Up.

Michael Halpern, Designer, New York

A post shared by Halpern (@halpernstudio) on Mar 29, 2017 at 11:17pm PDT

With a flamboyant and irresistible disco aesthetic of colour-popping sequins, Michael’s label Halpern is just two years old and has already achieved widespread success, with Donatella Versace and Beyoncé both firm fans.

Stefflon Don, Rapper, Birmingham/London

Having collaborated with the likes of Skepta and Future, Stefflon Don is the UK’s grime scene’s answer to Cardi B and is poised for world domination, with her songs Hurtin' Me and Bum Bum Tam Tam scaling the charts across Europe.

Ellie Bamber, Actor, Surrey, UK

Having been picked for a starring role in Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals, Ellie’s career started high in Hollywood. This year she stars in Disney’s The Nutcracker, followed by the BBC’s epic new drama Les Misérables.

Rina Sawayama, Singer, Niigata, Japan

A post shared by Rina Sawayama (@rinasonline) on May 7, 2018 at 5:08pm PDT

Cambridge University educated Rina is the pop star for the digital age, fusing nostalgic R&B beats with relatable lyrics. Listen to Cyber Stockholm Syndrome for a taste of why she's being dubbed as one to watch.

Samira Wiley, Actor, Washington D.C.

Although best known for her role as Poussey in Orange Is The New Black, last year Samira was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as Moira in the acclaimed TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid’s Tale and has returned to the role for season two.

SZA, Singer, New Jersey

With Kendrick Lamar collaboration All The Stars on the Black Panther soundtrack and five Grammy nominations, SZA is bringing soul back into the charts.

After making her runway debut as an exclusive for Saint Laurent’s SS17 show, Adut is one of the industry's most sought after models, walking in every major show and landing campaigns for huge houses such as Moschino and Valentino.

Dougal MacArthur

Sadie Sink, Actress, Texas

Sadie rocketed to fame after joining the season-two cast of Stranger Things, as Max the skateboarding Pac-Man addict, and she has also starred alongside Helen Mirren on Broadway and Woody Harrelson in The Glass Castle.

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Daniel Kaluuya, Actor, London

From Get Out to Black Panther, to Black Mirror, winner of the BAFTA Rising Star Award 2018 and Oscar nominee. Daniel Kaluuya has been in every must-watch film or TV show of the past year.

Dougal MacArthur

Sasha Lane, Actress, Brenham, Texas

Sasha got her big break on Miami beach, when director Andrea Arnold spotted her and asked her to audition for the now critically acclaimed American Honey. This year she stars in Sundance Jury Prize winner TheMiseducation Of Cameron Post alongside Chloë Moretz.

Liv Little, Founder of gal-dem, London

Confronting the lack of diversity in journalism and publishing head on with her platform gal-dem, Liv has been named one of the BBC’s 100 Women and number one BAME future leader of 2016/17.

Dougal MacArthur

Rupi Kaur, Poet, Writer and Illustrator, Toronto

Rupi has harnessed her 2.5 million Instagram following to reignite an interest in poetry, tackling themes of love, loss, violence, family and heritage. She's also published her works in two books, Milk And Honey and The Sun And Her Flowers, both of which have been New York Times bestsellers.

Holly Gore, Gurls Talk, London

Working alongside her best friend, Adwoa Aboah, Holly launched Gurls Talk as a platform for women to talk openly about mental health, sexuality and body confidence, plus they host one-day festivals where guests can attend talks and workshops.

BBZ, Club Night and DJ Collective, London

Creating a safe place for LGBTQ women of colour, Tia Simon-Campbell and Nadine Davis are the duo behind monthly exhibition and club night BBZ, catering to the needs of those that don’t fit into the binary nightlife scene in the UK.

Gemma Chan, Actress, London

A post shared by Gemma Chan (@gemma_chan) on May 27, 2018 at 11:00am PDT

Earning critical acclaim for her role in Channel 4’s Humans, she is this year's Hollywood breakout, with standout roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Mary Queen of Scots. In 2019, she'll make her Marvel debut, starring opposite Brie Larson in the female-fronted superhero film Captain Marvel.

Since taking over the mid-morning slot on BBC Radio 1 in 2015, Clara’s career has seen her present backstage at the Brit Awards and co-host Top of the Pops. She's also co-hosted Film 2017 and interviewed everyone from Lady Gaga to Spike Lee, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.

When Wilson isn’t walking the runway for Margiela, he’s using his art to encourage us to confront society’s consumerism. As a follow-up to his exhibition of the same name, his latest book, Wait, is a collection of thoughtful poems and short stories addressing our wasteful culture.

Joyce NG, Photographer, Hong Kong

As a Central Saint Martins Fashion Communication graduate, photography was an unexpected career path for Joyce NG, but with an authentic yet unexpected style, her work is quickly catching the attention of the industry, having shot editorial for the likes of Dazed, Wonderland and 1 Granary.

Amika George, Founder of #FreePeriods, London

Meet 18-year-old Amika, the founder of #FreePeriods, who is campaigning for free menstrual products for schoolgirls from low-income families. With 1 in 10 girls in the UK unable to afford menstrual products, Amika's fight to end period poverty led to a protest of more than 2,000 people outside Downing Street last December.

Ronan Farrow, Journalist, New York

A post shared by ronanfarrow (@ronanfarrow) on Apr 22, 2018 at 10:00am PDT

This year, Ronan Farrow helped bring accusations of sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein to light. After his employer NBC refused to air his findings on Weinstein, he published an article in The New Yorker that reinforced allegations made in the original report, propelling the case into the wideser public consciousness.

A designer with the royal stamp of approval, the Queen sat front row at Richard’s AW18 show and presented him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design for his forward-thinking, innovative, designs.

This year's voice of fashion activism is Sinéad Burke, who is campaigning for greater inclusivity and practical design for people with disabilities. Her TED talk "Why design should include everyone" has been viewed over 1 million times and she was invited by the Obama administration to the White House for Design For All, an event focusing on fashion and disability.

Dougal MacArthur

Teddy Quinlivan, Model and Trans-activist, Boston

Teddy encapsulates the phrase 'anything is possible'. After publicly revealing her transgender identity, she is now working towards destigmatising connotations surrounding transgender men and women.

Coco Capitán, Photographer and Artist, Seville and Cadiz, Spain

Coco’s signature scrawled handwriting, 'What are we going to do with all this future?' featured by Gucci’s Alessandro Michele in his Fall 2017 collection, is just one of many projects she’s worked on, having also produced editorial work for New York Times Magazine, Document Journal and brand Maison Martin Margiela.

Isamaya Ffrench, Make-up Artist, London

A post shared by Isamaya Ffrench (@isamayaffrench) on May 12, 2018 at 3:57pm PDT

Tom Ford's International Creative Artist Isamaya has painted the faces of everyone from Rihanna to Kim Kardashian, while also lending her creative talents to editorial shoots for the likes of W Magazine and Love. Most recently, she founded Dazed Beauty with Jefferson Hack.

Fatima Zaman, UK Counter-Extremist, London

Victoria Adamson

Since witnessing the 7/7 London bombings in 2005 aged 13, Fatima is campaigning to counter violent acts of extremism. Working with former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on project Extremely Together, she aims to tackle radicalisation on an international scale.

A post shared by siduations (@siduations) on Apr 22, 2018 at 4:27pm PDT

With a following of just under 80k, Instagram account @Siduations inserts fashion moments into IRL scenarios. Followed by everyone in the industry, his posts during fashion month go viral within minutes.

Dougal MacArthur

Molly Goddard, Designer, London

The woman behind those tulle masterpieces worn by everyone from Rihanna to Björk, Molly is the Central Saint Martins alum designer remixing fantasy frocks for the feminist generation from her studio in London's Ladbroke Grove.

Amena Khan, Blogger, London

Muslim blogger Amena became the first woman wearing a hijab to feature in a major campaign for L'Oréal, making waves for diversity within the beauty industry and holding court with her 400,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Five years ago, Olya launched 1 Granary as a blog celebrating the work of Central Saint Martin's students. Now, after publishing its fifth print edition, Olya is at the helm of a network for emerging talent.

The inaugural celebration of The ELLE LIST 2018 was hosted on Monday 4th June at Spring, Somerset House. See what went down at the event here and enjoy an exclusive limited time offer from THEOUTNET.COM.

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